When the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) announced sweeping layoffs earlier this month, the most immediate damage wasn’t evenly distributed. It landed disproportionately on Marion County—the administrative heart of the agency—and it targeted not the workers on the ground, but those behind the systems that keep Oregon’s infrastructure functioning.
According to agency data, 212 employees across the state received notice that their positions would be eliminated by the end of the summer. In Marion County alone, 76 of those roles are now marked for elimination. Unlike in other regions, where maintenance crews bore much of the brunt, Salem-based job losses have cut deeply into technical, administrative, and planning units.
Among the reductions are 18 information systems specialists, 12 operations and policy analysts, and five engineering specialists—roles that often function invisibly but are essential to the day-to-day and long-term integrity of transportation systems. Cuts also affected fiscal analysts, HR professionals, and administrative coordinators. These are not just support roles; they are the connective tissue that helps ODOT adapt to environmental changes, emerging technologies, and regional population shifts…